Fuel-gas generator for internal-combustion engines



April 1 1924. 1,488,548

F. E. MODLIN FUEL GASGENERATOR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June l. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 z5 llll Z6 A* i?.j il l zz l?? Il /f :Z-TM-f- M ffl? a a 77 27e* li Q Ii 1 u 8 l N u m f@ f m U8 gq 3.9 lli l g@ 4 33 v 5'? L 3f y -f-M" @Horne-11.1'

April 1 1924. 1,488,548

F. E. MODLIN FUEL GAS GENERATOR FOR INTERNAL' COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 1, 1922 sneets-sheet b Patented Apr. l, 1924.

UNITED Vsra'rlais PATENT OFFICE. 1.

FRANK E. MODLIN, OF ST.

JOSEPH, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOE OE ONE-SIXTEENTII TO 5. A. WHITE, OE SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

FUEL-GAS GENERATOI?v EOE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application led June 1,

` gradeA oil or kerosene may be economically employed as a fuel in connection with engines of this type.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device wherein, as compared with any system injecting or admitting a wet fuel vapor to the engine c linder, increased efficiency will be obtain'e by yheating and gasifying the fuel vapor and mixing the resultant fuel gas with air to form a cool fuel mixture before reaching the engine cylinder so that more perfect combustion will take place, this result not only .tending toward the development of greater energy from a given amount of fuel but also tending to minimize fouling of the engine while by cooling the gas by the admixture of auxiliary air, pre-ignition troubles or overheating of the engine will be avoided.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device embodying a shell forming a combined gasifying and mixing chamber and wherein exhaust gases from the engine will 'be employed for heatingthe shell.

Another Object of the invention in this connection is to provide a device wherein the shell will be of spherical form and wherein a spherically shaped jacket will be `provided to surround the shell in concentric relation`thereto whereby to eect an equal distribution of heat about the shell.

A still further object vof the invention is to provide a device wherein moisture will be supplied to the fuel mixture for not only increasing the combustibility of the mixture 1out also retarding the formation of carbon in the engine cylinder.

Andthe invention has as/ a still further Object' to provide a, device which will be characterized by structural simplicity,

which may be easily y taken apart and cleaned, and which will be `well. for

lnipple 15 is an exhaust pipe 18.

1922. serial No. 565,259.

use in connection with internal combustion engines of various conventional makes.

Other and hereinafter.

In the drawings: y l

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing my improved gas generator applied, and

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a slight modification of the invention.

Referrlng now more particularly to the incidental .objects will appear -drawings, I have, for convenience, shown my device in connection with a conventional engine cylinder 10 having the usual intake chamber 11 and exhaust chamber 12 from which extends a nipple 13. In carrying thev invention into effect, lI employ a spherically shaped jacket 14 provided at one side with va nipple 15 threaded over 'the nipple 13 of'` the chamber 12 for connecting the jacket thereto and rising from the jacket is an annular flange 16. Bolted or Otherwise secured to said flange is a coverplate 17 closing the jacket and threaded through said flange at the side of thejacket opposite the Mounted within the jacket is a spherically shaped shell 19 and threaded through the shell at its upper side is an Outlet pipe 20 which is also threaded through the cover plate 17 axially thereof. Thus, by rotating the pipe uponv the cover plate,'the elevation of the shell may be adjusted and, as shown,

noV

the shell is supported in concentric relation 4 to the jacket so that a heating chamber 21 of uniform width is thus defined about the shell. Connected with the upper end Of the pipe 20 is an elbow 22 from which extends a pipe 23 engaging a tee coupling 24. Connected to said coupling at its upper end isI an auxiliary air inlet pipe 25 in which is interposed an appropriate control valve 26 and leading from the `lower end of`said coupling is a pipe 27 threaded through the wall of the chamber 11: Threaded through the jacket 14 and shell 19 beneath the pipe 18, is a combined primary air and fuel inlet pipe 28 bracing the shell with respect to the jacket and extending horizontally into the shell. rIhis pipe carries a locknut 29 toA coact with the wall of the y/shell and mounted upon said pipe at its inner end is an elbow 30, carrying a rdepending nozzle 31 located axially of the outlet pipe 20 and terminating near the bottom of `the shell. Fixed upon the pipe 28 at its outer end is vlll a tee coupling 82 to which is connected a primary air supply-pipe33 of a diameter `to admit only a restricted supply of air and threaded into said coupling at its upper side is 'a combined fuel and moistfureconducting pipe 34 equipped at its upper end With a tee coupling 35; Leading into this coupling at one side thereof is a liquid fuel supply pipe-36 in which is interposed an appropriate shut-off valve 37, and threaded into said coupling at its upper end is a Water Asupply pipe 38 in which is interposed an appropriate shut-ofi' valve 39.

As will now be seen in view of the preceding description, exhaust gases from the engine cylinder 10 will flow from the chamber 12 into the jacket 14 whence the exhaust gases will be distributed within the heating chamber -21 to flow around the shell 19 and over the outlet pipe 2() to exhaustthrough the pipe 18. Thus, the shell will be heated throughout its entire area to provide an internal gasifying chamber while the outlet pipe 20vvill also be heated, and, in this connection, it is to be observed that the uniformity of Width of the heating chamber 21 as well as the spherical shape of the shell will tend toward uniform heating of the shell. Furthermore, it is to' be noted that by employing a spherically shaped shell in conjunctionwitha spherically'shaped jacket, the heating chamber 21 is without angles or pockets such as would prematurely 'collect soot to cause clogging of the chamber and consequent local overheating of the Wall of the jacket and shell or imperfect distribution of heat about the shell. However, by displacing the pipe 28 and detaching the cover 17, the shell may be removed from the jacket, when the device may be readily cleaned. Since the gasifying chamber of the shell is in open communication With the chamber 11, engine suction in the latter chamber will, when the valve 37 is opened, serve to draw in liquid fuel and air into the gasifying chamber. Upon entering said chamber the liquid fuel Will, as Will now be understood, be heated and gasified to become mixed with the air drawn in along with the fuel to form a hot fuel gas too rich to be ignited. As the fuel gas rises through the pipe 20, said gas will then be further heated so that a thorough gasification of all liquid particles in the mixture will be had when, as the gas continues in its flow through the pipes 23 and 27 ytoward the engine cylinder, a proper amount of auxiliary fresh air, admitted through the valve 26, willl be drawn in to become mixed with the gas and thereby form a resultant explosive fuel mixtime. The fresh air so introduced into the hat fuel gas will, at the same time, act asa cooling agent for said gas so that a clean, cool, and dry explosive fuel mixture free of any liquid particles will be formed to thus insure a cool-running engine and a clean cylinder or cylinders free from carbon or other deposit while allowing of a higher compression in the cylinder or cylinders'without any pre-ignition trouble before the charge is ignited. The richness of the mixture may, of course, be determined by adjustment of the valve 26 to admit auxiliary air to the fuel gas in regulated quantities, `and I have found by actual test that by producing a pre-gasitied, cooled vfuel mixture the efficiencvof an engine is greatly increased inv contrast with an arrangement wherein more or less wet fuel vapors are aspirated directly into the engine cylinder or cylinders. B

opening the valve 39, water will be admitted to the gassi'l'ying chamber along with the primary air and liquid fuel. Upon entering the chamber the water so admitted will, of course, be vaporized, when the steam thus generated will become commingled with the Tfuel gas. As i's well known, the combustibility of the ultimate mixture" will thus not only be increased but also, the presence of the moisture in the mixture Will tend to reduce the formation of carbon in the engine cylinder. lt is to be noted that only a restricfed quantity of air is taken into the gasifying chamber along with the liquid fuel, only suliicient air being admitted to effect a thorough gasification of the fuel. Premature expansion of the fuel gas is thus avoided while, when the fresh air is admitted to the gas during its low to the engine, the cooling iniuence of the fresh air Will serve to prevent undue expansion of the explosive mixture formed by the introduction of the fresh air so that tlie full eiiciency of the mixture will be realized within the engine cylinder o'r cylinders. At the same time, no condensation takes place, it having been found by actual test that the fuel mixture formed permanently retains its gaseous state. j

x In Figure 2 of. the drawings, I have shown a slight modification of the invention, this modified structure also being shown yin connection with a conventional engine cylinder 40 having an intake chamber 41 and exhaust chamber 42 from which extends a nipple 43. A jacket` 44 is employed, as in the preferred construction, this jacket being provided with a cover plate 45 having an exhaust pipe 46 leading therefrom. Mounted within the jacket is a shell 47 corresponding to the shell 19 and supporting the shell is an outlet pipe 48 threaded through the cover plate 45. At its upper end, the pipe 4S carries a coupling 49 connected by a pipe 50, a coupling 51, and a pipe 52, within@ the intake -chamber 41. Connected to the coupling 51 is an auxiliary air intake pipe 53 in whichl is interposedA an appropriate valve 54, as in the preferred construction.

Threaded throughv the Coupling 49 at its upper end to extend axially through the pipe 48 into the shell 47, is a combined primary air and liquid fuel pipe 55 which, in the present instance, forms a, nozzle terminating near the bottom of the shell and connected to the upper end of said nozzle is a coupling 56' carrying a primary air inlet pipe 57T Connected to the coupling 56 is a liquid fuel sup-ply pipe 58 in which is interposed an appropriate shut-off "valve 59 and connected to the pipe 58 is a water Supply pipe 60 in which is interposed an ap propriate shut-off Valve 61. .As will be Seen, this modified structure provides an arrangement wherein the nozzle 55 enters the gasifyin'g chamber of the shell through the outlet pipe of the shell whereas, in the preferred construction, the inlet ipe 28 is employed so that the outlet pipe or the shell is unobstructed. However, since when the shell 19 of the preferred construction must be relatively small, it may be found inconvenient to attach the nozzle 31, I have providedl the modified structure wherein such diiiiculty Will not be experienced. In other respects7 the modified structure is' identical in function and operation with the preferred form of the invention and further description thereof is accordingly believed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A fuel gas enerator for internal combustion engines lncluding a jacket for connection with the exhaust outlet of the engine, a cover plate upon the jacket,` a shell within the jacket: an outlet pipe extending from the shell through said plate for connection with the engine intake and connecting the shell with the plate to be removably supported thereby within the jacket, and means extending into the shell flqrlupplying liquid fuel and air within the s e 2. A fuel gas generator for internal combustion engines including a jacket for connection with the exhaust outlet of the engine, a shell mounted within the jacket, an outlet pipe extending upwardly from the shell exterionly of the jacket for connection with Ithe engine intake, a rcombined liquid fuel and air inlet pipe leading through the jacket into the shell, and a nozzle de'ending from the latter pipe Within the she l.

3. A fuel gas generator for internal combustion engines including a jacket for connection with the exhaust outlet of the'engine, a shell mounted within the jacket and provided with an upst-anding outlet pipe for connection with the engine intake, a combined liquid fuel and air inlet pipe extend# ing horizontally through the jacket into the shell, and a nozzle depending from the latter pipe Within the shell axially of the outlet p1 e.

n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

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